GCR Lab Facilities

The Geomorphology and Chronology Research (GCR) Laboratory at the University of Victoria is a facility that focuses on quantifying the timing and rate of past landscape responses to past climatic change. Within the GCR lab, we prepare mineral and organic material for two types of radiometric analysis: 10Be and 26Al terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides and radiocarbon dating.

Our Facilities Include:

Chemical Pre-treatment Lab

The Chemical Pre-treatment Lab used for radiometric analysis.
Photo by Bryn Forrest. 
In this laboratory we prepare mineral and organic material for two types of radiometric analysis – 10Be and 26Al terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide and radiocarbon dating. 

Physical pretreatment lab equipment includes a Frantz isodynamic magnetic separator and a froth floatation system.

Chemcial pretreatment lab equipment includes two Perchloric Acid grade fume hoods, ultrasonic heater baths and hotplates, Type I and II water purification system, Benchtop freeze-dryer, and heavy liquid density separation equipment.

Mineral Separation Facility

Rhino rock crusher as seen in the Mineral Separation Facility, used for the separation of crystalline materials . Photo by Bryn Forrest.
In this laboratory inorganic material (sediment and rock samples) undergo mechanicmal separation.

Mechanical separation equipment includes rock crusher, disk pulveriser, rock saw, and Ro-Tap sieve shaker.

Computer Lab

GCR students working on their projects in the Computer Lab, used for GIS analysis and geological modeling. Photo by Bryn Forrest.
Obtained radiometric dates are synthesied and combined in Bayesian statistical models within this lab which enables the production of geochronological datasets that consider the geomorphic relation between samples and wide landscape dynamics to be considered.

Programs frequently used in our lab include ArcGIS Pro, OxCal, online calculators formerly known as the CRONUS-Earth, HEC-RAS.